Updated 23 October 2026
The official CAT 2026 advertisement is headed “Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)” and names every IIM taking part. If you are sitting CAT on 29 November 2026, this is the list to start your research from.
The 22 IIMs named in the CAT 2026 advertisement
In the order printed in the notice:
- Ahmedabad
- Amritsar
- Bangalore
- Bodh Gaya
- Calcutta
- Guwahati
- Indore
- Jammu
- Kashipur
- Kozhikode
- Lucknow
- Mumbai
- Nagpur
- Raipur
- Ranchi
- Rohtak
- Sambalpur
- Shillong
- Sirmaur
- Tiruchirappalli
- Udaipur
- Visakhapatnam
The advertisement says CAT 2026 is a prerequisite for admission to various post-graduate and Fellow/Doctorate programmes of these IIMs.
Why the list matters now, not in January
The CAT result is due in the first week of January 2027 (tentative). Many candidates start looking at institutes only after the score arrives, and then rush. Doing the reading now, while you are still preparing, gives you a calmer January.
The advertisement also warns that meeting the minimum eligibility criteria does not ensure shortlisting by IIMs. Each IIM publishes its own admission policy, and the policies differ. That is the single best reason to read them in advance.
A simple way to research each IIM
For every IIM you are considering, open its official website and note down:
- Programmes on offer — the flagship two-year programme, any one-year or executive programmes, and doctoral programmes, as listed by the institute.
- The admission policy document — how the institute shortlists candidates after CAT and what it weighs at the final stage. Use the institute’s current document, not last year’s.
- Key dates — when the institute expects to send shortlists and run its later rounds.
- Location and campus facts you care about.
Keep this in a single spreadsheet. When the result arrives, you will already know where your score is most useful.
Non-IIM institutes
The advertisement also notes that listed non-IIM institutions may use CAT 2026 scores. The list is on iimcat.ac.in. The IIMs have no role in their selection process, so check each one’s application deadline separately.
Back to the paper
Research is the second job. The first is the exam on 29 November. To keep your accuracy up in the final weeks, try CAT Gurukul’s free CAT practice questions across VARC, DILR and QA.
Source: Official CAT 2026 advertisement published by the IIMs and the CAT website, iimcat.ac.in.
